Recently the Selwyn House Alumni Association had the opportunity to catch up with Harriet Whiting of Peer Year 2006. Harriet is the General Manager at The Hits radio station, New Zealand Media & Entertainment. She has many happy memories of her time as a Selwyn House student, and has kindly shared some of these with us for this edition of Skylark. 

Harriet began her Selwyn House journey as a Year 1 student, forming close and enduring friendships with fellow alumni. Harriet like all alumni has many memories from her time attending Selwyn House as a Year 1 right through to when she was a Year 8 in the Senior School. 

At Selwyn House, Harriet felt supported by her teachers. She remembers Mrs Bierworth "giving the best hugs, and looking after all the Year 1's very well!" She also has happy memories of 'The Pit' a staged seating area where mat time and reading were special activities. 

The buddy programme was a positive experience for Harriet, both as the younger and then later as the older buddy. The programme supported Harriet at a young age to engage with older students. Later as the older buddy she had the opportunity to lead and support her younger buddy, helping her to find her confidence and place in the school. 

Harriet and her friends enjoyed sitting under the pear tree by the playground, during lunch times. Cut lunches from school were a highlight both due to their deliciousness, especially when they included 'potato smilies' and the fun of the ordering process. 

While Harriet attended Selwyn House the school experienced some big milestones, including the jubilee celebrations and a uniform update. The Peer Year 2006 Senior Production was The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. Harriet fondly remembers the costumes, rehearsals and then having the daunting but exciting opportunity to perform to a large audience. 

Languages were some of Harriet's favourite subjects at Selwyn House, studying both Spanish and French. This set her up well for high school where she continued to study Spanish, and went on a school trip to Spain where she got to make use of all this learning. 

Beyond Harriet's school years, she has had a dynamic career in New Zealand Media, beginning at NZME in Christchurch before moving north to Auckland. Harriet has been in Auckland for almost a decade now and in that time has worked her way up to become the General Manager of The Hits Radio Station. 

Thank you Harriet for sharing these beautiful memories with us all. 

We love hearing stories from alumni about their experiences at Selwyn House School and beyond, if you would like to share your story, please use this form.